Chapter 54: The Jade Coffin

Hearing the voices and the approaching footsteps, Xiao Qian gritted her teeth and left through the back door without looking back.

Soon, Ying Chang arrived at the secret chamber and was startled to see the disheveled Lu An.

He quickly stopped Fang Ling behind him and said, "Uh, Brother Lu is resting. Let's not disturb him."

With that, he took Fang Ling and walked towards their residence.

Fang Ling looked puzzled. Resting? After such a fierce battle last night, with even a Foundation Establishment cultivator falling, Lu An actually managed to sleep?

No matter how much she questioned, Ying Chang didn't answer, and eventually, she had to give up.

After a while, Lu An woke up slowly.

Since his cultivation was weaker than Xiao Qian's, he woke up much later, in the evening.

He looked around at the chaos and was immediately startled, suddenly recalling the tender moments of the previous night.

"Didn't kill me… Xiao Qian, I wonder if that's her real name."

The image of Xiao Qian's face lingered in his mind, refusing to fade.

After a while, he shook his head, tidied himself up, and went to find Ying Chang and the others.

"Brother Ying, how was the battle last night?"

Seeing him approach, Ying Chang had a teasing smile on his face.

"I'm not sure how the battle went, but it seems you had a good time."

Lu An's face turned red instantly. It was rare to see him stammer, and he didn't say a word.

Ying Chang also put away his joking demeanor and said seriously:

"Yesterday, the four of us at Foundation Establishment besieged the two of them and severely injured one. However, later a Foundation Establishment cultivator came to their aid, which is why we couldn't keep them all here."

"But we pursued them, and the previously injured person received further severe damage. He probably won't survive for long."

Lu An breathed a sigh of relief. The Ding family's people were elusive and unpredictable; dealing with them would be challenging if they targeted him specifically.

Now that one of them had been dealt with, they would likely lie low for a while. However, a more intense retaliation might follow.

Strengthening his abilities was a pressing matter!

Lu An pondered for a moment and said:

"Brother Ying, since the situation is settled for now, why don't we prepare and head to Mount Mangdang for training tomorrow?"

Ying Chang nodded in agreement:

"I had the same thought."

At that moment, Fang Ling arrived.

"Brother Lu, why haven't I seen Xiao Qian? Wasn't she captured by the Ding family yesterday?"

Lu An's face turned awkward, and he quickly came up with an excuse:

"She was frightened yesterday and went to stay with distant relatives."

Fang Ling grumbled:

"This child, leaving without a word. I really cared for her in vain."

"But it's also true that an ordinary person following us through dangerous situations is indeed risky."

Fang Ling was a typical example of someone with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Although she complained, she still cared about Xiao Qian.

Lu An nodded. He did not mention that Xiao Qian was an assassin from Lingxiao Pavilion. Since everyone had been getting along well recently, revealing this would only cause unnecessary sadness.

Ying Chang seemed to have noticed something. "Going to distant relatives? What a coincidence."

Was the person from last night Xiao Qian?

He was somewhat surprised, but since Lu An was unwilling to elaborate, he did not press further.

"Have you decided on the demonic beasts you want to deal with?"

Lu An nodded and replied:

"I've reviewed the Demonic Beast Chronicle from Sister Ling and have a general understanding. This trip will primarily target the demonic beasts related to the talisman materials."

"This will save costs and also achieve the purpose of training."

Lu An visited Uncle Zhao and Ju Yuan Studio to say goodbye. Since this journey would take a while, it was better to inform them in advance.

However, when he went to find Li Ziyou, he discovered that the Li family was on high alert, as if facing a great enemy.

After waiting for a while, Li Ziyou finally came out of the Li residence, looking somewhat grim.

Lu An frowned and asked:

"What's the matter? Why the urgency?"

Li Ziyou glanced around and, seeing no outsiders, replied:

"Don't mention it. Do you remember the jade coffin sent by the Ding family on the day of the Young Master competition?"

Lu An nodded; he certainly remembered. The elders of the Li family had been furious at the sight of it.

"Does the jade coffin have some kind of problem?"

"Indeed. I suspected that the Ding family's ancestor had malicious intent."

"That jade coffin was connected to a Soul Tomb secret realm, accessible only to souls."

"It was filled with various violent and restless souls that attack anyone they see. It was terrifying."

Lu An was intrigued and asked:

"What did the Ding family give you this for? Isn't it enough to avoid entering it?"

Li Ziyou became quite agitated when mentioning this.

"That's what should be the case, but considering that secret realms often contain rare treasures, our clan leader couldn't resist the temptation and sent his soul to explore."

"At first, he didn't pay much attention when he saw only Qi Refining period souls. But as he went deeper…"

"He didn't expect to encounter many Foundation Establishment period souls deeper inside. He realized the danger too late and tried to retreat, but it was too late."

"Under the siege of many souls, he exerted all his strength to escape, but his soul was severely damaged and will likely not last many years."

Lu An was taken aback and asked quickly:

"Is it that serious?"

Li Ziyou's expression showed sadness as he nodded.

"Those souls absorb life essence using ancient soul cultivation techniques, making them extremely difficult to guard against."

"Moreover, the soul is the most vulnerable part of a cultivator. Once it is severely injured, it is very hard to recover."

Lu An was slightly shaken. Soul cultivation—could this be the tomb of some ancient soul cultivator?

He was currently practicing soul cultivation techniques himself. If that was the case, it would be a missed opportunity to pass up.

Furthermore, whether it was Soul Devouring or the Soul Nourishing Art he practiced, he needed spiritual nourishment.

Even if the secret realm had no treasures, those restless souls were still of considerable value to him.

However, with his current cultivation level, if he ventured in recklessly, it would likely be a one-way trip. Careful planning was necessary.

He maintained his composure and said:

"It seems the Ding family must have entered and found that there were no treasures inside, which is why they gave the jade coffin to you."

"They were certain that your clan leader would be tempted and enter to investigate. This was a deliberate strategy."

Li Ziyou agreed with this assessment but noted that discussing it now was of little use.

"With the clan leader injured, our Li family will likely have to stay low for a while."

"We only hope that the news doesn't spread too quickly, giving us more time to prepare."

Lu An understood. As the top cultivation family in Guguan County, the Li family relied on their clan leader's late Foundation Establishment stage cultivation.

With the clan leader severely injured, other families would likely become restless.

"If there's anything you need, Brother Li, feel free to call on me."

Li Ziyou looked grateful but then shook his head.

"The clan leader still has a few years left to live, so other families probably won't dare to act recklessly for now. However, in the future, it might become difficult."

"I didn't expect that just after becoming the Young Master, I would encounter such trouble."

Lu An sighed, offered some words of comfort, and then asked:

"What do you plan to do with the jade coffin?"

"With this situation, there's not much to deal with. The clan leader plans to handle it secretly to prevent the souls inside from leaking out and affecting our clan members."

Lu An pondered for a moment and said slowly:

"Not to hide anything from you, Brother Li, I have some interest in this coffin. If you don't plan to keep it, perhaps you could give it to me. I'm willing to purchase it with spirit stones."

Li Ziyou was quite surprised and raised his voice:

"Are you crazy? There's nothing in it but residual souls. Why would you want it?"